New Delhi, January 16: The number of people who have tested positive for the new UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the country has climbed to 116, the Union Health Ministry said on Saturday. "The total number of persons found infected with the new UK variant genome is 116," the ministry said.

All these persons have been kept in single-room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by respective state governments, the ministry earlier had said.

Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine. Comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others. Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on, the ministry said. COVID-19 Vaccination Drive Begins in India: PM Narendra Modi Launches Pan-India Rollout of Coronavirus Vaccination Programme.

The situation is under careful watch and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) labs.

The presence of the new UK variant has already been reported by several countries including Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.